Saturday

Friday night marked the sixth night of Hanukkah, and the Chabad Jewish Community Center off Cedar Street in Milford celebrated by lighting a massive menorah on the front lawn.

“The message of Hanukkah is so important to Judaism,” Chabad Center Rabbi Mendy Kivman said.

Hanukkah is a festive Jewish holiday observed near the end of the calendar year over eight days. It’s most obvious marker is the lighting of candles – a new one each evening. That represents the eight days thousands of years ago that a container of holy oil – meant to last just one day – lasted when Jews reclaimed an important temple that had been vandalized.

It’s not the holiest Jewish holiday according to religious texts, Kivman said, but its message encompasses a lot of what is important in Judaism, representing a deep well of faith, the importance of fighting darkness with light, and making each day better than the last.

Hanukkah is also a holiday on which Jews can perform a mitzvah – or commandment – that requires publicizing the message. The Chabad Jewish Community Center does that each year with events like Friday’s.

Sunday night – the first night of Hanukkah – saw two similar big menorah lightings, plus music and dancing in Holliston and Franklin, and Monday night saw an outdoor menorah lit outside Gilly’s House in Wrentham, bringing attention to the opioid crisis.

The weekend holds at least two more events – a celebration at Bellingham’s Urban Air Saturday and a Hanukkah party in Milford Sunday, where children can build robotic dreidels and rush for chocolate gelt dropped from an extended firetruck ladder.

Kivman’s wife Rochy pointed out that the public displays also represent freedom of religion.

“It’s a pride thing, which I think is cool,” said Framingham resident Kim Poness, who came all the way down to Milford to celebrate with her grandson Yehuda.

It’s also good for her grandson to see such a public display of pride and celebration of his culture, she said.

A few cars in the parking lot Friday night even had large menorahs lashed to their roofs.

The mood Friday night was appropriately celebratory – people smiled while they sang, and clapped to the beat once the sixth lantern was lit. Illona Roll took a selfie with a friend and the menorah in the background before heading inside for a community dinner.

“Everyone’s so friendly, so kind,” said Roll. “They want everyone to enjoy the warmth of (Hanukkah).”

About 50 people came for dinner, Kivman said, and he expected 75 to 90 people to show up at the center by the end of the night.

Learn more about the Chabad Center at https://www.gotchabad.com.

Alison Bosma can be reached at 508-634-7582 or abosma@wickedlocal.com. Find her on Twitter at @AlisonBosma.